Abstract:
Consumers have more choices in the type of fabrics they wear than ever before. In addition to natural fibers like cotton, silk and wool, there are now a wide variety of synthetics on the shelves.

Fans say high-tech microfibers offer better performance and more design options than their natural counterparts, and are nothing like the scratchy leisure suits of the past (think John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever). A new wave of nanotechnology allows clothes to resist spills and wrinkles, and wear longer between washings.